Mark Butier
President/CFO, Butier Engineering

Mr. Butier is dedicated to examining comprehensive policy objectives for delivering key water infrastructure projects. As an Executive Board member of Water UCI, he will focus on the issues that impede balanced solutions to the regions long term water quality and supply challenges. Mr. Butier’s 33 years of experience in water infrastructure will be utilized to support UCI staff researching opportunities that will maintain Southern California’s position as the leader in world class water supply solutions. 

Mr. Butier currently serves as President and CFO of Butier Engineering. He is the second-generation executive of the company, succeeding his father who founded the firm in 1976.  Butier provides construction management services to public agencies and special districts throughout Southern California. Over its 44-year history, the firm has been responsible for managing several of the highest profile water infrastructure projects in the region.

Mr. Butier is a graduate of the University of Southern California earning degrees in Economics (BA) and Social Sciences (BA).  He is a proud alum of the UCI Merage School of Business (MBA). He has served on numerous industry boards and as an elected director on several non-industry corporations.

Dennis Calvert
President & CEO, BioLargo, Inc.

Dennis P. Calvert is our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. He also serves in the same positions for BioLargo Life Technologies, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of BioLargo, Inc., and chairman of the board of directors of each of Odor-No-More, Inc. and Clyra Medical Technologies, both BioLargo subsidiaries. Mr. Calvert was appointed a director in June 2002, and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2002, Corporate Secretary from September 2002 until March 2003, and Chief Financial Officer from March 2003 through January 2008. Mr. Calvert holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Wake Forest University, where he was a varsity basketball player. Mr. Calvert also studied at Columbia University and Harding University. He also serves on the Board of Directors at The Maximum Impact Foundation, a 501(c)(3), committed to bridging the cap for lifesaving work around the globe for the good of man and in the name of Christ. He serves on the Board of the Sustain SoCal Trade Association, serves on its Emerging Technology Committee and is affiliated with its Sustainability Council. He serves as a Board Member for the Tilly’s Life Center (TLC) is a youth-focused, 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable foundation aimed at empowering all teens with a positive mindset and enabling them to effectively cope with crisis, adversity and tough decisions. He is a scholarship sponsor at Environmental Research and Education Foundation a 501(c)(3) dedicated to fund and direct scientific research and educational initiatives for waste management practices to benefit industry participants and the communities they serve. He also a sponsor of scholarships on behalf of National Water Research Institute A 501c3 non-profit that sponsors projects and programs focused on ensuring safe, reliable sources of water now and for future generations. He is a board member of the Maritime Alliance, an internationally known water cluster based in San Diego California. He is also an Eagle Scout. He is married to his wife more than 33 years and has two children. He has been active coach in youth sports organizations and ministry activity in his home community. Mr. Calvert has an extensive entrepreneurial background as an operator, investor and consultant. Dennis started his corporate career at a Fortune 500 chemicals company, and moved on to become a founder and Vice President of Marketing at a physician recruiting firm that grew to become the industry leader. Prior to his work with BioLargo, had participated in more than 300 consulting projects and more than 50 acquisitions as well as various financing transactions and companies that ranged from industrial chemicals, healthcare management, finance, telecommunications and consumer products.

Marice DePasqual
Vice President and Chair Woman, Mesa Water

Marice H. DePasquale, a more than 20-year resident of Costa Mesa, was appointed to the Mesa Water Board of Directors in 2017 and elected in 2018.  She represents the Division 3 communities of North Costa Mesa and landmarks such as South Coast Plaza, Segerstrom Center for the Arts and Orange Coast College. Currently, she serves as Mesa Water’s Vice President and as Chairwoman of the District’s Legislative & Public Affairs Committee, and as an Alternate of the District’s Engineering & Operations Committee. She is committed to assuring a safe, affordable, abundant, and reliable water supply for the community.  This is vital for property values, quality of life, and the economic success of Costa Mesa.

Vice President DePasquale has decades of experience in public relations and is Principal of MConsensus, a public affairs firm specializing in land use entitlement, government and community relations, and grassroots lobbying. Her clients have     included C.J. Segerstrom and Sons, Crystal Cove Alliance, Disney, Home Depot, The Irvine Co., Marriott Hotels, Lennar Homes, Newport Banning Ranch, Pebble Beach Resorts, and Starbucks, as well as not-for-profit groups and campaign committees. Her work has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America through numerous OC Chapter PROTOS awards, including the prestigious national Silver Anvil Award.

Vice President DePasquale values public service and giving back to the community. She serves as a Board member on the Seneca Family of Agencies, a nonprofit agency dedicated to the creation, preservation, and support of foster care, adoptive and relative care. Additionally, she has served on UCI’s School of Social Science Dean’s Board of Counselors, the City of Huntington Beach’s Affordable Housing Committee, and the Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association, among other professional and community organizations.

Vice President DePasquale holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), with an emphasis in voting and elections.

Susan Hori
Administrative Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP

Susan Hori is the Administrative Partner for the Orange County office of the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP.  She is a member of the firm’s Land Use Business Unit and her practice emphasizes land use and environmental law, with a specialty in the processing of multi-agency land use entitlements for real estate development projects.  Her work involves counseling clients regarding compliance with local, state and federal land use laws and regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, the federal Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, and archaeological and historic preservation issues.  Her clients are primarily landowners and developers in the residential, retail, industrial and hotel/resort industries.  

She is the former chair of Manatt’s Real Estate and Land Use Practice Group and served two terms on firm’s Board of Directors.  Among her community activities, she is a Board member of the Orange County Business Council where she co-chairs the Workforce Housing Committee, and a member of the ULI Orange County Advisory Committee and Women’s Leadership Initiative Council.  Prior to entering private practice she served as an attorney with the Solicitor’s Office in the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., where she represented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Ms. Hori earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and served as Managing Editor for the Ecology Law Quarterly.  She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Washington, Seattle. 

Joone Lopez
General Manager, Moulton Niguel Water District

Joone Lopez is the General Manager of the Moulton Niguel Water District, which provides water, wastewater and recycled water services to six cities in South Orange County. Before joining Moulton Niguel, she served as the General Manager of Calaveras County Water District located in Northern California. Joone’s prior experience includes working for Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company as its Assistant General Manager and serving as the Deputy General Manager of Central Basin Municipal Water District.

Joone is a Board Member for Association of California Water Agencies, California WateReuse Association, California Water Data Consortium, Southern California Water Coalition, South Orange County Wastewater Authority, WaterNow Alliance and Water UCI Leadership Board. She’s also a founding member of the California Data Collaborative, a non-profit representing 21 million Californians, focused on leveraging data and technology to enhance water management policies statewide. 

In her personal time, Joone serves as a Board Member for Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Orange County & Inland Empire Chapter, Tilly’s Life Center, and United Way Orange County Leadership Council to End Homelessness. Preceding her career in the water industry, Joone was a Police Officer for the City of Pasadena, where she received the Silver Medal of Courage for valor under fire. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University of Northridge and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from University of California San Diego.

Paul Weghorst
Executive Director of Water Policy, Irvine Ranch Water District

Paul Weghorst has dedicated his career to helping communities develop reliable water supplies.  Currently, Paul is serving as the Executive Director of Water Policy at Irvine Ranch Water District.  His responsibilities include overseeing the District’s water banking and transfer projects, recycled water customer development programs, water use efficiency programs, public affairs and environmental compliance activities.  Mr. Weghorst has worked at Irvine Ranch Water District for 12 years.  Prior to coming to the District, Mr. Weghorst worked for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation where he was active for 23 years planning and implementing water supply reliability projects in the 17 western states.  Paul graduated in 1982 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BS in Civil Engineer and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Colorado.

Michael J. Cohen
Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute

Since 1998, Michael Cohen’s research, writing, and advocacy with the Pacific Institute has focused on water use in the Colorado River basin and delta region and the management and revitalization of the Salton Sea ecosystem. He has served as a member of the California Natural Resources Agency’s Salton Sea Advisory Committee and the International Boundary and Water Commission’ Colorado River Delta Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the Institute, he worked as a Legislative Assistant in Congress and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. Mr. Cohen has a B.A. in Government from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in Geography, with a concentration in Resources and Environmental Quality, from San Diego State University.

Brian G. Thomas
Executive Director of the Delta Conveyance Finance Authority

Brian is an infrastructure finance expert with 40 years of public sector experience as a financial advisor and working within government. Brian served as Assistant General Manager and CFO of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California as well as CFO of Las Vegas Valley Water District/Southern Nevada Water Authority. Brian has also held management positions for the utilities in the City of Anaheim and Riverside. In addition to his consulting work, Brian is also currently the Executive Director of the Delta Conveyance Finance Authority.

Brian also served as a Managing Director of Public Financial Management where he was Head of the Water Practice for the Western US and advised on more than $4 billion of municipal financings completed on utility related projects.

Ray M. Baca
Executive Director, Engineering Contractors’ Association

Ray M. Baca has served as Executive Director for the Engineering Contractors’ Association of Southern California since 2019 and is a founding member of the Secure Water Alliance. Mr. Baca shares a unique blend of applied organization leadership experience that is comprised of senior and executive level positions across multiple disciplines in the Western U.S.—all of it related to the construction industry. This includes construction contractor association leadership in both Western Washington and Southern California. He was formerly the Executive Director for the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as having served in various General Manager positions in both the Caterpillar and Komatsu dealer organizations.

He is committed to serving in a significant and proactive role that aligns community, organization, and business needs through public policy betterment and strategic advancement of the construction industry.

Mr. Baca holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management and a Master of Science Degree in Organization Leadership from Regis University in Denver, Co.

Zach Smith
Litigation Associate, O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Zach Smith is a litigation associate in O’Melveny & Myers LLP’s Newport Beach office, where he represents clients in connection with water and natural resource matters. Zach focuses on a wide array of water rights issues. He assists clients with surface and groundwater litigation, water right assessments, water transfers, water banking, and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Landowners routinely turn to Zach to help them optimize their water rights portfolios when considering new agricultural or other operations.

Before coming to California, Zach served as the Staff Attorney of the Colorado Water Trust, where he helped design and scale Colorado’s environmental water rights market in collaboration with broad sectors of Colorado’s water users. Zach worked closely with growers, water districts, and state agencies to build innovative, multi-benefit water projects across the state. Zach has written and spoken extensively on market-based approaches to river restoration.

Zach received his J.D. from University of Denver College of Law, and his B.A. in History with a Minor in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently a member of the University of Denver Water Law Review’s advisory board and has taught agricultural water resources at Cal Poly Pomona’s Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture.

Kim Sentovich
CEO of Rachio

Kim Sentovich is a senior-level executive and experienced outside board director with over 30 years of experience. She is currently the CEO of Rachio, a manufacturer of smart outdoor technology for residential consumers that advances the smart home outside through conservation and connection. She is also a Managing Partner at Paradigm Shift Group, providing consulting services to companies and private equity groups on logistics, supply chain, operations, and digital and corporate strategy. Kim has worked with organizations of all sizes, from Fortune 50 public companies to private companies, and private equity portfolio companies to startups, and has held multiple operating roles at leading organizations like The Home Depot, Walmart, Gymboree, and Torrid.

In addition to her CEO role, Kim currently serves as an outside director for WRAP Technologies (WRAP), and One Stop Systems (OSS), and is on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Kim received her (BA) as a double major in Philosophy and Political Science with a minor in Economics from Bryn Mawr College and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine. She lives in Newport Beach with her husband, Michael Sentovich, and their two children.

Nelly Tsai
High School Teacher, Irvine Unified School District

Nelly is a National Board Certified Teacher, a science consultant, and a teacher leader. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology, Master in Teaching, and Master of Science at the University of Washington. She has been a teacher since 2005 with experience teaching health, life, physical, earth, and AP sciences from grades 7-12.

Nelly was a science Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) in the Irvine Unified School District and served as a curriculum reviewer for NextGenScience and Achieve. She has worked with Water UCI since 2016 through the Middle School Water Conservation Challenge program and the Research Opportunities for Community College Teachers (ROCCT) program. Nelly is passionate about finding local phenomena that matter to students. She strives to promote equitable learning experiences for all students with a focus on social and environmental justice.

Nelly currently teaches integrated science at Northwood High School. She also serves as a Lecturer and supervisor in the CalTeach program at UCI. Her interests outside of science education include arts and crafts, volunteering, exploring nature, and keeping up with her two energetic kids.